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Track IT 4.0 - Dilemma

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by tomsal

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I don't feel too good. While maintaining our Track IT 4.0 database, the purchase table for this entire year was purged by mistake. Thus wiping out about 100 detailed orders that I personally keyed into the system through the year. The last backup ofthe table, only covers the first quarter of this year.

So now I'm feeling sick to my stomach at all the information lost and the knowledge that there's probably no way to undelete that information. In desparation I'd thought I send a useless email to Track-IT support (which I just did) and that I'd see if anyone here has any thoughts to kindly offer.

Admittably, I feel angry at myself for not backing up more recently - I should know better, since I'm not a newbie in IT and that's why I feel even more upset with myself.

While at the same time, Track It, I've found out the hard way - is poorly documented and the fact that you can ACCIDENTALLY delete whole tables is scary that there are no safeguards to undo such actions.

25 replies

by admin

don't have this, sorry.... Symantec & others work, I was just wracking my brain and wrote instantly, sometimes you forget in the moment... anyway, I do empathize. Bummer.

by admin

comforted by the idiocy of my answers today...... You lost a table not file....

So sorry Tom, I am no help whatsoever.

:(

by tomsal

Thank you for your fast reply and for offering me your help. I do appreciate that.

But actually, your post did turn on a lightbulb in my head "Duh, Tom it *IS* a table and NOT a file...you can't restore it!". So just count me as having a very unusually off day (God 6pm can't come fast enough today). Its not my usual nature to not think clearly.

Anyway, the good that came out of it - hard lesson DRILLED into my being now -- be incredibly anal about backups. And secondly, I did check out that disk keeper program you suggested, its very good.

Have you used R-Studio? I'm playing around with that as well now...its a good program.

I found it through www.hotfiles.com, did a search for "UNDELETE" and you'll find the trial version.

Thanks again,

Now I better get to looking up the hard copy files of all those receipts I entered into Track IT...

-Tom

by lordinfidel

Cool program, No file server that users have access to should be without it.

It is especially useful for files made/deleted in between your daily backups.

When used in combination with your daily backup strategy, you can be certain not to losefiles. (even though this was a table and not a file, but a restore from the latest backup would of saved you)

Again, my deepest condolesconses, and a
"Bad Admin, no Donut"

by lordinfidel

Don't know what else to say....

I personally use track-man which is similiar. But I have the data stored on the network which is backed up daily.

I could of sworn that Track-It allows you to do the same thing, install the data on a network drive and you can access the data thru the program.

Scary is that TrackMan uses access as it's database.

You didn't happen to print out the tables to a hard copy?

by tomsal

Actually, you are right Track It can be used via networked drives. Unfortunately (its too long to explain on here) let's just say for political reasons and a crazy corporate structure...I was more or less TOLD that I must set it up on X machine, locally.

(Its those situations that make you envy those that sign their own checks).

But anyway, Track-IT's preferred install method is via a SQL Server DB. Ours is local (if I'm not mistaken the local data format for Track-IT is DBASE (at least it uses the DBASE data formats)).

But yeah, I do keep the important orders (ie. the large dollar orders) in my paper files as well, I can restore probably 60% of what was lost and the 40% of the orders lost were mostly small items - books, peripherals (mice, keyboards, etc.) and monitors.

It still sucks though (to be blunt).

Thanks for your input/feedback/advice.

I appreciate it.

later.

by radiic

what you did to delete the database so i dont do it. I did look in mine and there is an import/export feature. Maybe you would want to export the purchase table to a .csv and then put that on a file server so that it gets backed up. would be better than nothing.

Also one thing to look at would be your backup software...I know with backup exec. i can load it on my workstation and then have the server backup certain directories at night, maybe this would help with them not letting you install it on a server.

I wish that words could help you, but I can still remember the first time that i kicked myself in the @$$ for not backing up important info. Well I gotta go now and make sure my backups are working ;)

Rad

by lordinfidel

From what you said above...

Never let the corporate weenies dictate computer policies. The way I told our execs was, you hired me for a reason, let me do my job.

I have come to heads with them several times, and I always tell them the same thing. We have policies and best practices in place for a reason. If you don't follow them then we will have to pay the price for it. Whether they like it or not, we are hired to enforce the policies, not to be peoples friends.

I personally refuse to play the corporate game with them. Granted it might come back to haunt me. But I always do what is best for the security, reliability and compliance of the network.

Just my .02

by cgi¤001

Tom, hmm, you got hardcopies, right?
scanner available? Scan the hardcopies and import... Goes faster than keying in...

by radiic

I have to agree. I tell my boss all the time that this is why you hired me. I do my job and I do it well. Now you didnt want me to do what>???? Put this program on the server over there.??? Who is responsible for that server...AHH me thats right... I think that server will work just fine... ;)

Alarm clock goes off its 7:00 am time to go to work...what A dream i Had last night...

by ddewitt

You were right thinking that it is just a table. If your software uses dBase tables as you mentioned then your records can be recovered if you have not packed the database. DBase records are only marked for deletion until you pack the data. Thereare lots of dBase file utilities out there that will recover your records if they are not already zapped.

by tomsal

Yeah you share the same opinions as I do on that. My company has a lot of strengths, but we have a severe ugly weakness as well. That weakness would be the aforementioned "political nature" of our company. And trust me on this, I know that every company has politics - I'm not just a new kid at his first full time job here, I've worked at several companies (one Fortune 500 even) and this company has serious political issues. Managers ( of which I'm one) are SEVERELY (and I do mean SEVERELY) restricted in many decision making processes. Its really bad. The shameful thing is the people who work here are mostly talented and good people and that's why its even more distressing because its like the guys at the top don't even realise the talent they have on board. So why do I stay then? A) The pay isn't awesome but since my last raise its far from the lowest (based on similar job descriptions I've researched in my region), B) I like the challenge of being the main network/admin/tech guy (even though sometimes I wish I had more help), and C) I've been here about 6 years (not quite) , so you know how you get that "team" feeling with some of your co-workers, there are some people here I really enjoy working with.

Its just frustrating though when your CEO will splurge 10,000 on his office lighting sytem and fancy sound system..but you need an act of congress to get $2000-$3000 approved for a network anti-virus product...or how we'll spend all this attention to put locks on cafeteriacabinets (you know must protect the straws and napkins!) but I have to preach like Jesse Jackson over and over and over for them to put a lock on our Telco Closet.

That's the stuff I deal with on a daily basis.

sorry for the venting man. I'm striving to apply your advice in the workplace.

later.

by lordinfidel

A good network downage from a virus I bet would make them think twice about things.

I'm not saying to "intentionally" break things because that would be wrong.

But there is no harm in being Overly cautious let's say when a virus hit's your network. Bring down the mail and file servers. Don't bring them back up online until all users systems have been cleared (did that once, had the funding the next day)

Drive array crashing, Take it off line and insist that it can not be used again until a full good backup is made of it. Do not allow people access to it until it is backed up.

Want your operations center locked, Have things mysteriously shut off or dissapear. Then tell your COO/CEO that the reason is becuase the room is not locked.

Do an audit and tell them that half their software is missing due to the proper security measures were not encated and now they have to buy additional copies in order to stay compliant.

If you have to play their game, play it on your own terms, not theirs.

by tomsal

Amazingly, how I never thought of that before. That's a decent idea. I just don't know how importing images into Track IT works, rather how well it works.

The good thing is my boss and I came up with a plan already and the really good news for meis I found my purchase budget spreadsheet which had the figures on it (the whole point of the purchase database was to just track spending and report our spending at year end to Accounting). The spreadsheet just doesn't have the details that the purchase db had..but it has the numbers.

In Jan '02 I'll start fresh on Track It again, but this time I'll tie the database to a networked drived to be backed up...I just have to network it...no matter what the bosses say.

thanks for your input.
-Tom

by dbgirl

I'm sure you have already thought of this, but of course I have to say something.

Document all the time it took you to get this resolved, figure out how much it cost the company. Then let them know how much they could have saved if TrackIt had been on the network. This might get you the okay to put it on the network. I know where I am at, that would not work (have tried it before), but it is generally worth trying. Sometimes putting dollar figures to the political decisions will get the political winds to shift.

--When beating ones head against a brick wall, it helps if ones head is harder than the brick.--

by radiic

I have been using computers now for 21 years. Opps just gave my age away...Started when i was 14. There. The one thing that amazes me more than the advances of computers and software over the years, is the fact that People can't live without theirF***ing e-mail. Infidel was right. Nothing gets the crackpots that make the $ decisions more motivated to give you some $ is when they can't send their chain e-mails to their pals. So its a game. Every time someone complains about how slow it is topull a file accross the wan, I say well it would be faster if we had a bigger pipe, and that new Cisco 2650 I have been asking for, for 3 months now. You just have to know when to drop the hints and to who. Its amazing how when the head of one department hears something like that, and then asks the president why this hasnt been done yet>? Hell i was able to tack on some Catalyst 3524's on to the PO.

The unfortuante thing today,( and maybe this will change with future CEO's) is that they really don't understand what us SYS Admins have to do to keep things up and running, and that the kind of equipment we use costs a hefty penny. They think the computer on their desk is the only piece of the puzzle. It is your job to make sure that they realize that the puzzle includes a lot more pieces, and that all those other more expensive pieces really make their piece work.

Next time the CEO's computer brakes down, pull out a hammer and start wacking away, when he asks you what the hellyou are doing, say " Well this is the only way I can get you a new computer". Well I guess that might be a little much, but you get my drift...

In the bond of Sys Admins
Mike

by admin

"they really don't understand what us SYS Admins have to do to keep things up and running"

Yep, you're right on here. Unfortunately not only do "they" usually lack information, but there are tons of sources of misinformation to boot. Admins have a hard edge of knowing what will or won't really work (at least they better in time) but the salespeople, and magazines aimed at managers are often riddled with bad info. I actually get both since I am a Director in the company. It is important to realize where the different needs are percieved by management. If the Medicaid billing system goes down here, no expense is spared to fix it. When the whole HR department is unable to work, things get purchased fast. If the CEO or directors are unable to work they get fixed quickly, so if a problem somehow falls into one of these catagories, it is better, and if it can then be used for other things (i.e. the new back-up server can back up more than HR, or we can all share the extra bandwidth) thenits a go.

Unfortunately, you hit the nail on the head though, it's a game. But since it is, we might as well accept it and play well.

:>

by fanchant

1. Never assume the user knows what he(she) is talking about.
2. Be anal about backups.
3. Take as long as it takes to do the job right and don't take any lip about it.
4. Make hard copies of things that you absolute positively cannot afford to lose.
5. Make the users follow rule #4.
6. Users store important files in the Deleted Items folder of Outlook.
7. Have users sign off that they are satisfied all important and critical files have been backed up from their PC before you wipe a hard disk.

ANYWAY - my sympathies, hope you can use undelete!

by sam

I was amazed to discover that executives think the recycle bin is a storage space.

I have since implemented a policy that all pc's will be backed up to tape and the tape kept for 60 days before any major system upgrades or changes take place. I am lucky that ARCserve 2000 has client agents and I can do a file by file backup of the users hd to my network backup then save the tape for 60 days. DDS-3 tapes are cheap and it is easier then Ghost which require you to open the case or find the correct dos drivers to boot to the network.

This has helped on multiple occasions.

by fanchant

I was dumbfounded the first guy I ran into who said "Where's all the stuff I was saving in my deleted items folder?" I think my mouth opened and shut a few times and then I said, "Um, do you also file important papers in your trash bin?"
Anyway, I have ARCServe also, and while I have been working hard to get the concept of file servers through everyone's head, it's gotten to be an item on my project list to install the clients on all machines so I can do general backups from time to time, particularly of *.dbx files.

by admin

I don't know how many times I have used Norton's Recycle protection (basically undelete) on Workstations here. I make sure we buy Systemworks instead of just AV, and for some strange reason people will empty the Recycle Bin, but seldom if ever dump the protected files. It's a lot faster to restore than a tape. Undelete proggies like this save a lot of time for me.

by sam

I know this is really a late post but it might help the next person.

Track-It uses Access 2000 for it's database.

If you were using this then access does not delete information until you compact the database which is done maually. Search goolge and you can find information on restoring tables that were deleted. This is why the access file grows all the time is because it just marks information as deleted but does not delete.

If on SQL then you should be able to restore from a previousback, edit the log files so that it does not do a full recovery. Export your information from PO. Then put back your saved info before you ran the restore and import the PO information that you exported in the previous step.

Good Luck

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